“I can’t, babe. Remember, I’m meeting with one of my old friends today to find out how he’s doing in his new apartment and help him find a job.”
Sully sighed, kissed my neck once, then released me. “Fine. I know what you do is important to you, though I wish you wouldn’t use all your hard-earned money to do it.”
I turned, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him. “What do I need money for? You take such good care of me.”
“I do?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, I’ve been thinking.”
I cocked my head. “Is it a dirty thought?”
He chuckled. “Not this time, I swear. How would you like to redecorate the house?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I can’t get your words out of my head when you said you felt like a one-night stand. That’s not the way I want you to feel. This is our home, Kit. Yours and mine. If you want to live somewhere else, you tell me, but for now, this is our home, and I want you to treat it that way.”
“You’d trust me to redecorate your house?” I kneaded his shoulders. “Aren’t you worried I’ll make it look trashy? A real designer furnished your place.”
“Then make it trashy. As long as you think of it as home too, we’ll live in a trashy house together. So what do you think?”
“There’s not much rearranging that can be done right now.” I glanced around the room. “Maybe I can buy a few throw pillows to add a bit of color.”
“Kit.” He cupped my chin. “I’m not just talking about moving things around. I mean buying new furniture, carpet, and wall paintings. Anything you need. Use the credit card.”
“But that’s going to be expensive.”
“Who else am I going to spend all this money on? You take care of other people, so let me take care of you. Think about it, okay?”
“Thank you.” I checked my watch. “Shit, I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now.”
“Let me drop you off.”
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I can spare a few minutes. Just let me grab my car keys.”
Sully caught up with me in the hall, where I double-checked in the mirror that my outfit was okay. I’d opted for a pair of baggy pants with a white cropped top. Sully came up behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder.
“You look beautiful.” He placed a hand on my bare tummy and played with the stud in my belly button. “Sexy. Come on.”
Outside, Sully steered me over to the driver’s side.
“What are you doing?”
“You need to practice if you’re going to pass the test the next time.”
“But…” I waved at his expensive car. “I don’t want to damage your baby.”
“You’d better not. I’m particular to him being in one piece.”
“But what if I scratch it?”
He kissed my neck and opened the car door for me. “I’m talking about you, Kit. We can go slowly. No need to rush.”
Sully climbed in the passenger’s seat and instructed me to back out of the driveway.